JPB training/repotting help!

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Dylisco
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JPB training/repotting help!

Post by Dylisco »

Hi All,

Have been a long time stalker of this community however have never contributed - this being my first post!

Unfortunately I open with a noob type post requesting some advice with how to proceed with my Japanese Black pine.

I purchased this stock which had previously trained approximately 3 years ago and since then have not altered it in anyway.

It has been regularly watered so fortunately for me it has not died (which I hope it will continue not to do!)
I have been working away from home for the past few years in a temporary place of residence where the JBP could not be kept and hence my mum was watering her for me during said period of time.

There is so much advice and information out there that I am not sure how to proceed from my situation.
I do know that she will need to be repotted, pruned and needle plucked, but I am just unsure of where to start!

Just for some additional information I am located in Melbourne in the South East region.

Any help will be welcomed and more than appreciated!

I have attached some photos.
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PS.

As I will be moving home shortly and can then join a Bonsai club!
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Re: JPB training/repotting help!

Post by shibui »

Repotting: Now is a great time to repot pines and I think this one could do with some more room for new roots. You can cut the roots back by more than 1/2 without compromising the tree.

Pruning: It is a good thing that you have decided to ask for help now. Pine needles have a 2-3 year life then drop off. When the old needles have dropped and left the stem bare they will rarely bud there so you end up with long, bare branches with needles at the ends - not really good bonsai material. Most of your branches still have healthy needles so you can prune all the branches back to where the first healthy looking needles are growing. I usually leave 4-6 pairs of needles on each shoot. As a result of the pruning new buds should grow from where those needles are and you will have new foliage closer to the trunk so you'll be able to build up good branches. you will need to prune all those branches in the next few months before the older needles start to die off and your choices become more limited.

Your tree is not really ready to go into the maintenance phase where we needle pluck and decandle. For now you want development which involves growing as you have done for the past couple of years and pruning as I've outlined above.
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Dylisco
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Posts: 8
Joined: January 6th, 2015, 1:51 pm
Favorite Species: Acer
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Location: Melbourne

Re: JPB training/repotting help!

Post by Dylisco »

Thanks Shibui!

I have pruned the branches and will re-pot next week - will post some photos when completed!
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